Bernie Dickman

After his last victory 13 months ago at Gulfstream Park, Coop Tries Harder was unable to repeat in eight tries at four tracks, until Leonel Reyes found the right mojo again at Gulfstream yesterday.

Summoning up a performance by the 8-year-old gelding that resulted in an eye-catching 97 Equibase ‘E” speed figure, Reyes guided the son of Gone Astray from behind to a two-length score in an excellent clocking of 1:03.61 for 5 1/2 furlongs.

Coop Tries Harder earned a check for $14,800, raising his total to $235,792 on a record of 6-8-8 in 43 starts. The gelding bred by Dr. Thomas Brokken is Gone Astray’s 10th winner this year; he paid $23.40.

After Majestic Return finished a well-beaten sixth at odds of 32-1 in her career debut at Aqueduct, on March 5 she breezed four furlongs in :47.86 over the training track, eighth best of the 126 who worked the distance that day.

That morning trial apparently wasn’t lost on the sharp handicappers who follow such developments, and for her second try yesterday, the 3-year-old filly by Long On Value was sent off at odds of 5-1 in a $70,000 maiden special at six furlongs. With veteran Kendrick Carmouche aboard, Majestic Return reveled in the sloppy going at the Big A, shooting to the lead leaving the gate and waltzing to the wire 6 1/2 lengths in front behind fractions of :22.91, :47.20 and :59.86 as new track announcer brought her home with “Majestic Return . . . just striding away . . . Majestic Return . . . much the best.”

The filly bred in New York by Marshall Gramm, Raymond Sauer and Mike Pietrangelo paid $13.40 after crossing the finish line in 1:13.22, and collecting a check for $38,500. She became the second winner, and first of 2023 for sophomore sire Long On Value from just six starters.

The last time Stormy Pattern won a race, it was at Gulfstream Park last July; the purse was $37,000 and the winner’s share came to $23,300. Fast Forward to yesterday at Oaklawn Park: the 4-year-old Gone Astray colt wins for the fourth time in his 14-race career. The allowance purse is an eye-opening $104,000, and first place is worth $62,400.

In his first 13 starts, Stormy Pattern posted three victories and four seconds and earned $128,349. His bank account jumped to $190,749 with yesterday’s bonanza.

With Isaac Castillo in the saddle, Stormy Pattern stalked the early pace while three wide down the backstretch. He made a four-wide move on the turn and out-gamed the closers to the wire by a neck, clocked in 1:38.96 for the mile. He’s Gone Astray’s eighth winner this year.

At the OBS Open Sale last June, Roger B. Sterling paid $15,000 for a Neolithic colt bred by Southern Comfort Farm. In the short span of five races at Penn National over the past 4 1/2 months, Neon Sign has more than doubled his purchase price for his owner.

With Angel Rodriguez aboard in yesterday’s first race, the 3-year-old colt went wire-to-wire, raising his record to 2-2-0, and the check for $11,400 increased his bank account to $36,880.

Neon Sign shot to the lead leaving the gate in the six-furlong race, controlled the pace with fractions of :22.76, :46.13 and :58.49, then turned away three challengers from the top of the stretch home, winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:11.26. He paid $3.60 and became Neolithic’s third winner of 2023.

Richiesonaroll is living up to his name; he finished second two races back and now has won two in a row after a game performance racing seven furlongs in a starter optional claimer at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday.

The 3-year-old Gone Astray colt, a rare Illinois-bred (by Richard Ravin) became the first runner by his sire to win two races since Jan. 1. With Pablo Morales aboard, he was off slowly from the No. 1 post, but rushed up on the rail to take a half-length lead in a quarter of :22.96. He continued on in front despite being pressed every step of the way through fractions of :46.42 and 1:11.42, then held off two late charges to win by half a length in 1:24.44.

Richiesonaroll paid $10.40, earned $12,600 and raised his total to $44,630 on a record of 2-3-0 in 8 starts.

Jose Ortiz put Cosmic Speculation on the lead in the second race at Gulfstream yesterday, lulled the rest of the field to sleep through a controlled pace of :24.76 and :47.97, then had plenty left to break his maiden in his fourth career start.

The 3-year-old gelding by Bucchero reached the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front of fast-closing even-money favorite Victoria’s Chief, and was clocked in 1:29.89 in the $53,000 maiden special at 7 1/2 furlongs over the turf course. Bred by Jennifer and Gillian Johnson, Cosmic Speculation earned a check for $31,800, raising his total to $40,500 on a record of 4-1-1-0. He paid $30.20, became winner No. 4 for Bucchero this year, and was awarded an 80 Equibase ‘E’ speed rating, his best thus far.

It took Samy Camacho two tries to get in sync with Lookin’ Super, and it turned out that the third time was the charm.

Sent off as the 7/5 favorite going seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs, Lookin’ Super chased King Miano down the backstretch and into the turn in a :22.46 first quarter and a half in :45.51. He charged to the front in the stretch and proved to be much the best late, drawing off by 5 1/2 lengths in a sizzling clocking of 1:22.89. The 3-year-old Bucchero gelding, a $25,000 OBS June 2-year-old bred by Pamela Edel, received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 80 and earned a check of $11,250 for trainer Gerald Bennett and his Winning Stables.

Lookin’ Super is Bucchero’s third 3-year-old winner since Jan. 1 and sent the progeny earnings of the son of Kantharos to $110,421, which puts him in 12th place this season among Florida’s active sires.

Gone Astray’s sixth winner of 2023 is a rare Illinois-bred – the 3-year-old colt Richiesonaroll.

Bred by Richard Ravin, Richiesonaroll made a strong 4-wide move on the turn in the six-furlong maiden race at Tampa Bay Downs, then proved easily best in the stretch, winning by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:10.58. It was another 8 1/4 lengths back to the third-place finisher. Richiesonaroll paid $3.40 as favorite and received an excellent ’91’ Equibase E speed figure for the effort, best of his seven-race career.

The colt’s first victory was worth $8,400 to Gerald Bennett and his Winning Stable, but Tampa’s perennial leading trainer lost Richiesonaroll for $16,000 after three other trainers dipped into the claiming box to try to halter him.

World Gone Wild overcame trouble and picked up her 10th career victory yesterday with a come-from behind score in a 6 1/2-furlong race at Parx Racing.

Jeremy Laprida was in the saddle for the 5-year-old Gone Astray mare’s milestone as she raised her overall record to 10-3-1 in 30 starts. Bred by Dr. Myron R. Wilson and a $3,000 OBS October yearling in 2019, World Gone Wild added $110,800 to her bank account, which now stands at a formidable $261,275.

World Gone Wild jumped at the break but Laprida was able to send her out to stalk the leaders in fourth place on the inside down the backstretch. Laprida tried to find racing room nearing the top of the stretch but his mare was forced to check briefly, and when she recovered he sent her four wide. World Gone Wild then ran down the leaders in mid-stretch, and held off one late runner to win by three-quarters of a length, paying$7.